Payroll Specialist at Treewalk - Flexible Remote Canada — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
This role is based at Treewalk's downtown Vancouver headquarters and is not explicitly advertised as remote or location-independent. However, the company strongly emphasizes schedule flexibility and autonomy — language that often signals at least hybrid or partial work-from-home arrangements. That said, payroll processing for Canadian and US clients typically requires timely access to systems, deadlines tied to pay cycles, and coordination with HR teams, which limits true async freedom.
Timezone consideration: The role is anchored in Canadian payroll law and CRA compliance cycles (PT/ET time zones), so anyone working from abroad would need to be available during North American business hours — a significant constraint for nomads in Asia or Europe.
Visa angle: The role is Canada-only (Vancouver specifically), so eligibility requires the right to work in Canada. Options include Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or a valid Canadian work permit. It is not suited to digital nomad visa arrangements in other countries.
Salary context: At CAD $65,000/year (~USD $47,000), the take-home is comfortable for Vancouver (a high cost-of-living city), but would go significantly further in lower-cost Canadian cities or abroad — if remote work were confirmed. For nomads, this salary would be generous in Medellín or Bangkok, but the job's compliance-heavy nature and Canadian presence requirement make full location independence unlikely.
- Lisbon: CAD $65K would cover a very comfortable lifestyle
- Bangkok: Highly comfortable — but working hours mismatch is a barrier
The Role
Treewalk is an innovative and entrepreneurial mid-size accounting firm headquartered out of Vancouver with an expanding office presence across the country. We are a CPABC pre-approved training office that supports CPA students through their journey to designating. That being said, you don't have to be in the program to join us – we are open to working with you to shape the career path that works for you. If you want to work with a great team of accounting professionals, you've found the right place.
We are looking for a payroll specialist whose primary responsibility will be administering payroll for multiple clients in the US and Canada. This individual will maintain client salary databases and due to the nature of the position, should have a strong knowledge of Canadian payroll related laws and regulations. The successful candidate will report directly to the Accounting Manager and also work closely with other accounting professionals on our teams.
What Will Your Days Look Like
- Preparation and processing of accurate and timely payrolls in compliance with the employment agreements and Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) guidelines
- Maintains the integrity of the payroll database, ensuring compliance with established procedures and internal controls
- Preparation of timely and accurate year end reporting (T4A's, T4's etc)
- Resolves employee and system issues and interfaces with Human Resources on all payroll related issues
- Prepares accurate recording of payroll, expenses and allocations in accounting system
- Responsible for the accurate and timely reconciliation and reporting of payroll related government remittances
- Responsible for maintaining the good standing of government accounts throughout the year
- Continuously monitor changes to federal and provincial legislation impacting payroll and advise management when action is required
- Ensure compliance with legislation and organizational policies and procedures
- Other ad-hoc duties including employment contract creation and any other projects as required
- Preparation of month, quarter and year end payroll reconciliations, working papers, analysis and reporting
- Onboarding new clients to the payroll system and recommending best practices
- Basic bookkeeping tasks for various clients
Requirements
Our ideal candidate...
- At least 2 years of payroll experience; additional bookkeeping experience will be considered an asset
- A payroll certification is an asset (PCP)
- Experience processing payroll for employees in a non-unionized environment; both salaried and hourly
- Experience working with one or more payroll and electronic timekeeping software packages such as QuickBooks Time, ADP, and Ceridian
- Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Excel
- Proficient at working in a digital and paper-free environment
Benefits
It's Treewalk for a Reason
- Flexible Schedule: We treat our team members like professionals and give them autonomy to exercise their judgment and manage their schedules as they see fit. Get that workout in, run those errands – we trust you to manage your workload and meet those deadlines.
- Fun Culture: We encourage social activities outside of work, have company initiatives to keep you engaged with your peers, and have great technological tools to keep you connected.
- Day 1 Benefits: Your extended healthcare and maternity leave benefits kick in on your first day of work!
Who We Are
Treewalk is an advisory practice based out of downtown Vancouver specializing in financial reporting and corporate services for public companies. We offer clients a complete service package to assist them in timely and accurate disclosures. Our clients are from all industry sectors and are issuers on the TSX-V, CSE, NASDAQ, and the OTC.
We are one of the fastest growing accounting firms in Canada, and we've got some big goals that are going to send us to the top. We are a firm with an anti-firm culture – think tech start-up, but accounting. We're ditching the traditional top-down management hierarchy approach and are leaning into a holacratic system of organizational governance. We are on a journey to become the go-to training place for accountants of all levels who want to work in industry. Our accounting practice specializes in assisting public companies with their financial reporting and accounting needs, and we help private companies navigate the waters of going and staying public. We are industry-agnostic and have worked with companies in e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, cannabis, mining, and biotechnology, to name a few.
Our Core Values
Mastery: At Treewalk, we pursue knowledge. We aspire to be the best at our craft, and we create and pursue opportunities to build on our expertise.
Support: At Treewalk, you're never alone. Teamwork and collaboration are our bedrock, and constant support for each other and our clients is what sets us apart.
Ownership: At Treewalk, we fight to take responsibility. We own our mistakes and our oversights, and are relentlessly committed to our responsibility to our colleagues and our clients.
Kaizen: At Treewalk, we don't settle. Kaizen is a business philosophy that means "change for the better", or "continuous improvement". We recognize that nothing is perfect, but we're striving for it anyway.
Annual Salary – $65,000
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this payroll specialist role remote or in-office?
What is the salary for this Payroll Specialist position?
Do I need a PCP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) certification to apply?
When do health benefits start at Treewalk?
Does Treewalk support CPA students or require a CPA designation?
